Hame and trace connector.



B. M. WILHITE & L. OBERWETTER. HAME AND TRAGE GONNBOTOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1909.

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BERTNIE M. WILHITE AND LEWIS OBERWETTER, OF GORDON, NEBRASKA.

HAME AND TRACE CONNECTOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BERTNInM. VVILHITE and LEwIs OBERWETTER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Gordon, in the county of Sheridan and State of Nebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in I-Iame and Trace Connectors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

'The principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide a hames and draft connection therefor, where'- by the pull is received upon the hames and collar directly in the line of draft; to provide a draft connection for the hames which may be shifted vertically to change the line of draft; to provide a draft connection which avoids all twisting strains uponthe hames; to provide a draft connector for the hames which may be quickly and securely adjusted in position and locked therein; and to provide a construction for the hames and draft connection therefor, which is simple and durable.

One embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hames and tug connection, constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the tug connector and adjusting plate and lock therefor, the dotted lines showing the inoperative position of the looking bar; and Fig. 3 is a top view of the tug connector, showing the hames and the adjusting rod and connector plate in section on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

The present invention is particularly designed to overcome the disadvantageous construction which has heretofore existed, wherein the tug connector has generally been extended laterally from the hames to receive the tug. This has resulted in producing a twisting pull upon the hames, which has been partly corrected by means of the connecting straps of the two hames sections. The resultant movement of the hames against the face of the collar has had the elfect of wearing the collar badly. In the present instance, this is overcome by constructing the hames connector in a hook-like manner, as more particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, where the tug is connected to the removable bolt 4: of the loop 5. From Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 15, 1909.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

Serial No, 496,170.

the loop 5 there is extended the body portion 6 which is curved to form the hook 7. The hook 7 may be suitably reinforced to hold its form, if desired. hook the same is bifurcated to form the two extensions 8, 8, which are integrally connected to the bolt 9. The bolt 9 is cylindrical and rests upon the plate 10 upon which it may rock. The bolt extends as shown in the drawings in a vertical position. All strain of the tug, whether the same is swerved to the one side or the other, is thus received in the same spot upon the plate 10 and the hames 11. The bolt 9 is held on the plate 10 by a plate 12, which is suitably riveted to the plate 10 by rivets 13, 13. The plate 12 is formed to produce upper and lower extensions 14, 14, which constitute guides for the slide of the bolt 9. These guides may be disposed at any suitable distance each from the other. It is intended that the tug connector 6 shall be adjusted between the guides 14, 14c, and held in such adjusted position. For this purpose there is pressed up from the plate 12 in line with the guides 14:, 14, the cars 15, 15, form ing spaces 16, 16, between the same to receive snugly the bifurcated ends 8, 8, of the hook 7. In the drawings there are shown three such ears, which makes it possible to adjust the tug connector in three different vertical positions.

It will be understood that as above suggested, the number of the ears 15 may be increased as desired. In forming the ears 15 a space is left between the ends of the ears and the body of the plate 12, which will afiord a passage over the extensions of the ears 15 suflicient to pass the ends 8 of the hook 7 when the tu connector is adjusted to the various positions. When the tug is in its normal position-as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the ears 15 extend between the extensions 8, 8. When it is desired to shift the connector, to change the line of draft, the same is moved so that the hook 7 is drawn to the position shown by dotted lines in said Fig. 3. In this position, the tug connector may be shifted throughout the entire length between the guides 14, 14. It is to close the opening left between the ends of the ears 15 and the body of the plate 12, that we have provided the locking bar 17, pivotally connected at 18 to the plates 10 and 12. A portion of the guide 1 1 at the end of the plate 12 opposite the pivot 18, is provided with an At the outer end of the upturned extension which will form a looking clip 19 for the bar 17. The bar 17 is constructed from spring material, and is so held on the pivot 18 that it is sprung slightly in being introduced into the clip 19. The

springiness of the bar 17 holds the same in v engagement with the clip 19. In this position the bar 9 is prevented from being rotated sufiiciently to permit the extensions 8; 8, to aline with the opening between the ends of the cars 15 and the plate 12.

It is evident that whenever it is desired to shift the draft line of the hames, this may be accomplished by lifting the rod 17 out of engagement with the clip 19, to move it to one side as shown in dotted line's in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The tug connector may then be shifted to any position which the ears 15 will accommodate, and which the driver thinks desirable.

lvhenever the hames connector is drawn into its normal position, and the rod 17 again set within the clip 19, the tug draws the connector into position such that the pulling strain is directed against the hames through the bar 9.

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A hames and trace connector comprisinga hook member provided with a vertically disposed pivot bar, said hook member having a body portion forwardly and laterally bent to avoid contact with the hames and to extend to therear of said hames when the strain of the trace is received thereon; a bearing plate to receive said pivot bar to form a bearing therefor; a locking plate having a plurality of hook-shaped extensions opening toward the inside of the said hames, said extensions being disposed in line to form a vertically extending passage; and

a spring lock bar arranged to be secured in 

